Healthy Prism Store Is For You

We started Healthy Prism Store in 2008 to help people all over the world supplement their diets and daily routines with natural, better choices. Healthy Prism believes in whole food supplements that help to increase the needs of your body as you age or due to an unhealthy diet. People are running more marathons and biking and hiking as well. The body cannot replenish some of the necessary nutrients with diet alone. It is important to supplement these needs naturally and wisely. Electrolytes are an important part of after exercise routine. (they also help when drinking alcohol). I personally wake up and the first thing I do is drink my smoothie supplement drink. I add frozen fresh fruit for a thick cold enjoyable morning "shake". This is followed by either weights or cardio. After getting dressed for work, I sit down at my desk and enjoy a cup of coffee or herbal tea. Sometimes I forget to stop to eat lunch, so I find it important to get nutrients to my body regularly. As you get to know our site and our missions, I hope you will share your thoughts and tips as well. The best way to learn and prosper is to listen and absorb the suggestions of others. Have a great day!

Healthy Prism Store has just added new cleansing products from B.N.G. These products help jump start your summer diet. If you want to get control of your sun exposure we have many natural sunscreen products in a variety of SPF's and formulas. We would love for you to share any summer recipes with us. Juicing has also become very popular. We suggest the Nutri-bullet to grind all vegetables including the fiber they naturally have. Here is to a healthy sun safe summer.... CHEERS!

Fibromyalgia and obesity

Researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology have found an association between the level of leisure time physical exercise and a future risk of developing fibromyalgia. The research team also identified BMI as an independent risk factor for fibromyalgia. Details of the study appear in the May issue of Arthritis Care & Research, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American College of Rheumatology (see also Fibromyalgia).

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic pain syndrome characterized by widespread pain lasting more than 3 months, and tender point sites in the neck, shoulders, back, hips, arms, and legs. Associated features often include unexplained fatigue, sleep disturbances, headache, cognitive difficulty, and mood disturbances. The prevalence of FM increases with age and is considerably higher among women than men. Although the etiology of FM is poorly understood, many authors have suggested that a dysfunctional autonomic nervous system involving deficiencies in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and sympathetic nervous system contributes to the development of FM by altering pain perception and endogenous pain inhibition.

Two great Diet aids

Irvingia comes from a West African tree known as the wild mango. Natives there think it’s a health food. In some of the jungle regions where it’s used a lot, natives don’t get fat. Their diet consists of breads, soups, and stews made with crushed irvingia seeds.

Researchers in Cameroon, West Africa, recruited over 100 volunteers to see if Irvingia had any effect on weight. For 10 weeks, volunteers took a capsule containing Irvingia or a placebo. They didn’t make a single change to their eating or exercise habits.

Volunteers who took Irvingia dropped an average of 28 lbs., and their health dramatically improved. The placebo group dropped only one pound.1

How does it work?

By turning off your leptin switch.2 Leptin is your appetite hormone. This means you stop eating too much, and your cravings go away. When you have less leptin, your body uses up more fat, even if you don’t change your exercise and eating habits.

Fucoxanthin comes from Japanese seaweed. Like the kind you get in miso soup. Fucoxanthin kicks your metabolism into high gear. And then it changes your DNA, so your metabolism stays that way.3

Marine biologists first noticed that fucoxanthin caused thermogenesis in animals. Thermogenesis is the kind of body heat that makes your body fat melt away.

So researchers decided to study fucoxanthin’s effect on women. It increased fat-burning, even while the women were eating 1,800 calories a day. They dropped pounds and shed inches off their waistline.

Then in a second study, women who took fucoxanthin dropped an average of more than 15 pounds while the placebo group dropped three.4

Women lost subcutaneous fat. This is the fat you see. But fucoxanthin also reduced their visceral fat. Visceral fat is what wraps around your organs and causes heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.5

The best discovery of all? Fucoxanthin prevents new fat cells from forming.6 Fucoxanthin stops your fat cells from reaching maturity. So you don’t gain more body fat in the future.

If you’d like to lower your weight, I suggest adding Irvingia and Fucoxanthin to your supplement regimen. Both are natural antioxidants that work like magic to keep you lean.

Take 150 mg Irvingia gabonensis twice daily before meals.

Take 300 mg Fucoxanthin twice daily before meals.

To Your Good Health,

Healthy Prism Store

Wanted to share tis weight loss discovery!

A Universite de Montreal research team is developing a pill composed of leptin, the protein that tells our brain to stop eating. "Mice deprived of leptin will not stop eating. They become so big they have trouble moving around," says Moise Bendayan, a pathology professor at the Universite de Montreal Faculty of Medicine who has studied the leptin protein extensively (see also University of Montreal).

Leptin regulates appetite in mammals and its levels decrease when fasting and rise during meals. It has been proven to be an appetite suppressant when administered intravenously to pathologically obese people.

Postdoctoral student Philippe Cammisotto is leading the charge for a leptin-based, appetite suppressing pill with Dr. Bendayan and Emile Levy, a professor from the Department of Nutrition. "Taken orally, such a pill would provide obese people with the sensation of being full. They would eat less and in turn lose weight," says Dr. Cammisotto.

"We hope to start animal testing in 2010," says Bendayan. "The molecule is easy to synthesize and the protocol is ready."

After decades of building his reputation in fundamental research, Bendayan is happy to collaborate on something more tangible. "Obesity is a big problem in our society, no pun intended," says Bendayan. "To develop medication to combat obesity would be a great way for our laboratory to contribute to public health."

The new pill is being created based on a startling Universite de Montreal discovery from 2006: leptin isn't only secreted by fatty tissues. "From the first bite of any meal, leptin levels skyrocket in the bloodstream. Yet this has nothing to do with the leptin stored in the fatty tissues," says Bendayan. "In the lab, we proved that up to 80 percent of cells in our stomach also produce leptin. Those are the ones that regulate appetite."

The Universite de Montreal finding led to a different understanding of how the protein works, since leptin alone can't survive in an acidic stomach without assistance. Indeed, leptin protects itself with an accomplice that acts as its bodyguard and accompanies the protein through the digestive system until it can be absorbed into the bloodstream.

Keywords: Alternative Medicine, Animal Testing, Bariatrics, Obesity, Pathology, Therapy, Treatment, Veterinary Research, University of Montreal.

This article was prepared by Obesity & Diabetes Week editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2010, Obesity & Diabetes Week via NewsRx.com.

To see more of the NewsRx.com, or to subscribe, go to http://www.newsrx.com .

How to Speed up Metabolism

In the old days, your “appetite control system” was in better shape.

Today we have all sorts of additives and genetically modified “anti-nutrients” that interfere with our body’s hunger signals.

By your “appetite control system,” I mean a complex set of chemical interactions between your brain, nervous system, metabolic hormones, special cells and your immune system. These days, too many additives in your food get in the way of these delicate signals.

So what are some of these anti-nutrients that throw our appetite control system out of whack and make us hungry all the time?

Trans fat. It is bad for so many reasons. Trans fat gets into your cells and your brain. And, it blocks the receptor that controls your metabolism. Bottom line, eating trans fat will cause diabetes, weight gain, inflammation and even cancer.
High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS). This is an extremely bad sugar. It produces high levels of insulin. And, it blocks an important hormone, leptin, that is responsible for appetite control.
Unfortunately, thousands of different products in the grocery store contain HFCS and trans fat.

Did you know that if a product has .5 mg or less of trans fat per serving the manufacturer can put “zero trans fat” on the label? For example, even though the Oreo cookie package says “zero trans fat” you are still getting trans fat. So, if you have 6 Oreo cookies you could be getting up to 1.5 grams of trans fat.

Did you also know that HFCS can be found in bottled salad dressings, ice cream, yogurt, prepared tomato sauce, ketchup, sports drinks…even breads and cereals? Frightening huh?

Here’s a few things you can do to make sure these anti-nutrients don’t interfere with your appetite control system.

Read labels on everything.
Go to your refrigerator and cabinets and look for products that contain HFCS and trans fat and throw them in the trash.
Avoid bottled, canned, and frozen prepared meals…they are some of the biggest culprits.
Stay on the outer aisles of the supermarket where you will find whole foods—fresh fruits, vegetables, and meats (organic, grass-fed and free range if possible).
One of the benefits of a balanced appetite control system is a “geared up” metabolism.

Gear up YOUR metabolism and lose weight today!

Check this Out!

Bloomberg News

Dieters eating food high in carbohydrates and low on fat improved their mood longer than those on a low-carb, high-fat regime similar to the Atkins diet, researchers say.

A study of 106 overweight or obese people in Australia found those on the low-fat diet, which included bread, pasta and rice, were less angry, depressed and confused after one year than those who ate fewer carbs and more meat and dairy products, according to the study published this week in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine. Both diets were equally effective at reducing weight, the research showed.

More than one-third of U.S. adults are obese, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The findings by researchers from Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation contradict earlier studies that showed no mood changes in people linked to different diets.

"This outcome suggests that some aspects of the low- carbohydrate diet may have had detrimental effects on mood that, over the term of one year, negated any positive effects of weight loss," scientists said in the latest study.

Mediterrnean Diet!

Oct. 25--Eating a Mediterranean diet rich in fruits, vegetables, legumes, olive oil, fish and cereals is associated with a slower rate of cognitive decline in adults 65 years and older.

Journal of the American Medical Association, August

People who live in neighborhoods with access to parks, safe walkways and public transportation and fresh fruits and vegetables are 38 percent less likely to develop diabetes than people who live in more unhealthy neighborhoods.

Archives of Internal Medicine, October

A daily supplement of 700 to 1,000 international units of vitamin D reduces older people's risk of falling by 19 percent.

British Medical Journal, October

For women past menopause, at least seven hours of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity a week during the previous 10 years is associated with a 16 percent reduction in the risk of breast cancer.

BMC Cancer, October

Men who engage in moderate exercise are significantly less likely to receive a diagnosis of prostate cancer. If they do receive a diagnosis, they are less likely to have aggressive disease.

Journal of Urology, September

Women who are obese in middle age are 80 percent less likely to be healthy and free of chronic disease at age 70.

Switch your Corn oil Spread and watch your waitline shrink!

Have you seen this ad for one of those fake butter spreads?

It features a 1950s family called the “Buttertons.” The mother serves the family entire sticks of butter shoved into baked potatoes. The voiceover says something like, “Back then we didn’t know much about cholesterol and saturated fats… Today, we know better.”

That means they’re telling you that you shouldn’t eat fat. It’s remarkable that this message is still dominant in the mainstream media.

The truth is we don’t eat a high fat diet. We eat less fat than our ancestors did. And yet we’re the ones with obesity, heart disease, high cholesterol, clogged arteries and high blood pressure.

In direct contradiction of what you commonly hear in the media – like in that ad – real butter is good for you. Saturated fats are a natural part of your diet and are essential to life. Fat makes up the basic building blocks of compounds that help your body perform everyday functions. This includes things like regulating blood pressure, blood clotting and bolstering your immune system.

Saturated fats have been on the media hit list for over 50 years. Butter is just one example. Red meat is another. But one of the worst victims of this low-fat propaganda is coconut oil. Like butter, it’s been vilified for decades.

But a new study shows that coconut oil can lower your total cholesterol, boost your HDL “good” cholesterol, lower your LDL “bad” cholesterol, and shrink your waist size. Compare that to soybean oil, which did the opposite – lowered HDL, raised LDL and total cholesterol, and did nothing for your belly size.

And it’s not the only study to reach that conclusion. Several other studies back up those findings and find even more benefits of coconut oil.

Coconut oil can protect your heart, boost your immune system, and help you lose fat faster and easier than ever before. And today I’m going to show you how to use it.

Make the Switch from Corn Oil
and Watch Your Waistline Shrink
Coconut oil is rich in medium-chain fatty acids, medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs).

Unlike longer-chain fatty acids, the medium-chain fatty acids in coconut oil are tiny enough to enter your cells’ mitochondria directly.

This means your cells use the fat from coconut oil for energy instantly, instead of storing it for later use.

A Boston University study gave one group corn oil (longer-chain fatty acids) and the other medium-chain fatty acids.

After 90 days, those that got the medium-chain fatty acids lost weight, increased their insulin receptivity and even lowered their overall cholesterol.1

Another study published this year in the journal Lipids compared coconut oil with soybean oil. The women taking coconut oil saw their waist lines shrink and their HDL “good” cholesterol levels increase. Meanwhile, the women taking soybean oil didn’t see any change in their waist size. Plus, LDL, or “bad”, cholesterol levels rose and HDL levels dropped.2

Another study found that coconut oil can help reduce the symptoms of type-2 diabetes and that “people who incorporate medium-chain fatty acids, such as those found in coconut oil, into their diets can lose body fat.”3

Coconut oil can help turn your body into a fat-burning furnace.

Plus, it can help you eat less. It controls your hunger by leaving you feeling satisfied, longer.4

Boost Your HDL Levels
Contrary to what mainstream medicine tells you, eating high amounts of fat does not automatically equal higher cholesterol.
And that’s certainly the case with coconut oil.

The War Against
Saturated Fat
The war against saturated fats started way back in the late 1950’s.

A researcher by the name of Ancel Keys was investigating cardiovascular disease. His goal was to prove eating high amounts of saturated fat was linked to heart disease.

He published the “7 Countries Study,” successfully showing fat as the major cause of heart problems.

His research was praised and soon became gospel. He even became known as the “father” of the Lipid Hypothesis. That’s the theory that high cholesterol causes heart disease… and in turn, eating a lot of fat causes high cholesterol.

But there was a slight problem with Keys’ research. Something he deliberately ignored. Keys only chose to use data from seven countries that matched exactly what he wanted to prove.

The truth is there were at least a half-dozen other countries with examples that proved the exact opposite. Countries where people routinely ate tons of fat – yet rarely experienced heart disease. When it didn’t fit his hypothesis, he ignored the data.

Unfortunately, Keys’ research caught on over the years. One group in particular -- the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) – ran with Keys’ ideas. They launched what began an all out-war against all saturated fats. In fact, CSPI coined the term “artery-clogging” fat.

Sadly, coconut oil got caught up in it all.

Decades ago, food manufacturers used tropical oils like coconut oil in their baked goods. Movie theatres used it for their popcorn.

CSPI argued that coconut oil was terrible for your health. It was laden with saturated fat.
Instead, they demanded that these companies use vegetable oils instead (this of course benefited the American Soybean Association, who in the past has made generous donations to CSPI).

The food industry gave in. Coconut oil became taboo. Even the government joined in.

The National Cholesterol Education Program even issued a statement, encouraging margarine and partially hydrogenated fats, stating that “…coconut oil … should be avoided.”

Today, we know better.

The truth is it does the exact opposite. It helps improve your HDL to LDL ratio (“good” vs. “bad” cholesterol), lower overall blood levels of serum cholesterol, and reduce the amount of fat your body stores.5

In fact, in Sri Lanka, about 50% of calories from the typical diet come from coconut oil. Yet, heart disease there is virtually non-existent.

Researchers, perplexed by this, decided to see what happened when they took a group of young men and had them substitute coconut oil for corn and soybean oil.

The results weren’t pretty.

Their HDL level plunged 42 percent – which put them far below what’s considered healthy. Their LDL/HDL ratio increased 30 percent.6

That’s a recipe for heart disaster.

These results simply confirm what countless studies are finding. Coconut oil is good for your heart and helps increase your good HDL cholesterol.

For example, a study published in the Journal of Nutrition studied 25 women. They were given three different diets. A diet high in coconut oil, a low-fat diet with small amounts of coconut oil, and a diet high in polyunsaturated fats. Each diet lasted 3 weeks.

As you might guess, the highest increase in HDL was when the women ate the high fat, coconut oil diet.7


Bulletproof Your Immune System
Coconut oil contains lauric acid, a powerful immune system booster.

Lauric acid has antiviral, antifungal, antibacterial and antiprotozoal properties that help bullet proof your immune system against everything from free radicals, to a latent virus that’s waiting to wreak havoc.

It’s so powerful, in fact, that preliminary research suggests it’s effective against lipid-coated viruses, such as HIV.

A recent study took a group of 15 men with HIV. They had not received any prior treatment. After 3 months of supplementing with coconut oil, half of the patients showed a decrease in viral load.8


Good Health Can Taste Great
It’s pretty easy to get all the coconut oil you need in your diet.

Just follow any one of these simple tips:

Fry with it. Coconut oil has a high smoke point. That means that it won’t degrade at high temperatures – leaving all the fatty acids intact. It’s especially great for pan searing. If you do cook with it, consider getting it with no flavor. This is known as “expeller-pressed” coconut oil.

Take it to go. If you’ve got a very busy schedule, you can eat a snack with coconut oil already in it. My Primal Force Power Bars are great for this. Every bar is made with a healthy dose of coconut oil, and gives you plenty of protein to boot. It will give you the steady, long lasting energy you need.

Another great favorite of mine is to grab one banana. Dip it in plain yogurt. Then roll it in finely chopped coconut. Afterwards I put it in the freezer and eat it whenever I want a quick snack.

Make a smoothie. Scoop a healthy serving of coconut oil (it’ll probably be solid, but that’s okay) into the blender. Mix in your favorite fresh fruits. Maybe even add some protein powder. Add organic milk and a little ice. Blend it all and enjoy a tasty, heart-healthy smoothie.

Bake with it. It’s okay to have your favorite foods from time to time. And if you like to bake cookies, brownies, or anything else, go for it. Just substitute expeller pressed coconut oil for vegetable oil. Not only will everything taste better, but most of the fat you’ll be eating will get burned off right away.

Exercise After Weight Loss...If you want to keep it off!

Oct 09, 2009 (Voice of America News/ContentWorks via COMTEX) -- DATELINE: Durham, North Carolina

Paul MacLean raises a lot of fat rats. MacLean is a professor at the University of Colorado's School of Medicine where he studies the metabolisms of rats to learn about the metabolisms of people.

He says one of the biggest problems doctors face in treating fat patients, is getting them to keep weight off after they've lost it. MacLean's fat rats may hold a clue as to why that's so.

The experiment called for rats to eat like people

MacLean says the best way to learn about gaining weight is to get rats to act as much like people as possible.

"We give them too much fat, and we put them on an energy restricted low-fat diet just like humans go through," MacLean said.

"Once we have a weight reduced rat, we model the holidays and allow them to go off of their diets and we look at various aspects of their metabolism," he added.

After allowing the rats to gorge on food and regain weight, MacLean divided them into two groups. One group remained sedentary. The other exercised daily.

After weight loss, exercise suppresses appetite

What MacLean found was that when he exercised the animals by giving them a daily bout of treadmill exercise, similar to what a lot of people do, it changed their metabolism.

"It lowered their hunger that they were experiencing on a daily basis," MacLean said. "And it reduced the amount of weight gain early on, as they relapsed to obesity and ultimately lowered the body weight. So it changed their biology," he said.

MacLean added that the exercising rats didn't stay thinner because they were burning calories every day. That might have played a part in their weight control, he said, but the exercise program actually changed the biological drive to eat, and suppressed it.

"We were changing how they regulated body weight," he explained. MacLean says that may mean exercise can help people stay on their diet and resist the temptation to, "succumb to those biological urges of hunger pains that they feel on a daily basis after they've lost weight."

Of course, MacLean pointed out, people are different from rats; humans don't just eat because they're hungry. They eat to socialize, or when they see delicious looking food or when others pressure them to just try a little bite. But he said, people could react just like rats in that when they exercise, they might keep that weight off.

MacLean's research is published in the American Journal of Physiology " Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology.

Chicken Caesar Salad by The Mayo Clinic

Recipe: Caesar salad with grilled chicken
Dietitian's tip:
Romaine lettuce is flavorful and has more vitamin A, vitamin C, folate and calcium than does iceberg lettuce.

By Mayo Clinic staff

Serves 2
Ingredients
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, each 3 ounces
3 tablespoons fat-free Italian dressing

For the dressing:
1 1/2 tablespoons fat-free mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons water
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

4 cups romaine lettuce
1/2 ounce (about 3 tablespoons) Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, freshly grated
1/2 cup whole-wheat croutons

Directions
In a sealable plastic bag, add the chicken and Italian dressing. Put in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, turning the chicken over after 15 minutes.

Prepare a hot fire in a charcoal grill or heat a gas grill or broiler. Away from the heat source, lightly coat the grill rack or broiler pan with cooking spray. Position the cooking rack 4 to 6 inches from the heat source.

Grill or broil the chicken breasts until browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes on each side (internal temperature should be 165 F for 15 seconds). Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let rest 5 minutes before slicing into strips.

To make the Caesar dressing, add mayonnaise, olive oil, red wine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, garlic and water. Whip together until smooth. Season to taste with freshly ground black pepper.

In a large bowl, combine the lettuce, croutons and the Caesar dressing. Toss thoroughly until the lettuce is coated with the dressing. Transfer the salad to individual plates. Top each salad with the grilled chicken and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Analysis(per serving) Calories 201 Cholesterol 57 mg
Protein 25 g Sodium 565 mg
Carbohydrate 13 g Fiber 4 g
Total fat 5 g Potassium 551 mg
Saturated fat 2 g Calcium 145 mg
Monounsaturated fat 1.5 g

Study: Type 2 diabetics forgo dietary guidelines

Winston-Salem Journal, N.C.

09-04-09

Sep. 4--Many people with Type 2 diabetes may be jeopardizing their health by not following national dietary guidelines for the disease, according to a study from the Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

The study, released yesterday, appears in the August issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

The connection between Type 2 diabetes and being overweight has been well-documented.

The American Diabetes Association said that in 2007, 23.6 million Americans, or nearly 8 percent of the population, had diabetes. About 24 percent of those with diabetes have undiagnosed cases.

According to the National Institutes of Health, more than 85 percent of Type 2 diabetics are overweight.

The Wake Forest study, conducted on a national basis, included 2,757 participants. It focused on food-intake recommendations outlined in the 2000 version of the Food Guide Pyramid.

"I thought we were going to find people who, because they have a chronic disease, were more educated about and more motivated than the average American to eat healthy," said Mara Vitolins, an associate professor in the department of epidemiology and prevention.

"But that's not the case. The most important thing about controlling diabetes, especially Type 2 diabetes, is being able to manage energy in and energy out. The best way to do that is through the diet."

The Wake Forest study showed that 93 percent of participants exceeded the recommended percentage of daily calories from fat, while 85 percent exceeded the saturated-fat recommendation, and 92 percent consumed too much sodium in their regular diets.

The study also found that less than half of the participants met the minimum recommended daily servings of fruit, vegetables dairy products and grain. Those foods also have been shown to prevent heart disease -- the leading cause of death in people with Type 2 diabetes.

Only a limited number of participants met nutrient intake recommendations for total fat, saturated fat, sodium and fiber. Overall, the participants consumed a diet that provided about 44 percent of calories from carbohydrates, 40 percent from fat and 17 percent from protein.

Vitolins said that there are several reasons why Type 2 diabetics are overweight, including cultural food preferences, busy work schedules, and not having enough money to buy more nutritious foods.

Many studies have found positive results when Type 2 diabetics lost weight through diet and exercise.

For example, the Diabetes Prevention Program, a large clinical study sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, found that losing 5 percent to 7 percent of body weight and doing moderate-intensity exercise for 30 minutes a day, five days a week, may prevent or delay the onset of Type 2 diabetes.

Vitolins said that the study "clearly illustrates a need to provide ongoing nutrition education for people with diabetes, regardless of the amount of time they've had the disease."

"Day to day, the foods they are eating should be considered a vital part of their treatment. A proper diet and exercise can be as powerful as medication."

Corn Chowder Poblano by the Mayo Clinic

Dietitian's tip:
Dark green poblanos take on a smoky flavor when roasted. That smokiness makes them a perfect contrast for the sweet corn flavor of this filling main course.

By Mayo Clinic staff

Serves 4
Ingredients
2 poblano or Anaheim chilies, halved lengthwise and seeded
2 or 3 Yukon gold or red-skinned potatoes, about 1 pound total weight, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1/4 cup diced celery
1/2 red bell pepper (capsicum), seeded and diced
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels (cut from about 4 ears corn) or frozen corn kernels, thawed
2 cups vegetable stock or broth
1 cup 1 percent low-fat milk
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (fresh coriander)
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano or 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Directions
Preheat a gas grill or broiler (grill). Position the cooking rack 4 to 6 inches from the heat source.

Arrange the chilies skin-side down on the grill rack, or skin-side up on a broiler pan lined with aluminum foil. Grill or broil until the skins begin to blacken, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let steam until the skins loosen, about 10 minutes. Peel the chilies, discarding the blackened skin, and chop coarsely. Set aside.

Put the potatoes in a saucepan, add water to cover, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, uncovered, until the potatoes are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and transfer to a small bowl. With a potato masher, partially mash the potatoes and set aside.

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, celery and bell pepper and saute until the vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and cook for 3 to 4 minutes longer. Stir in the roasted chilies and the partially mashed potatoes. Add the corn, vegetable stock, milk, pepper and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Simmer uncovered until the soup thickens, 25 to 30 minutes.

Ladle into warmed bowls and sprinkle with the cilantro and oregano. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Analysis(per serving) Serving size: About 2 1/4 cups
Calories 301 Cholesterol 3 mg
Protein 9 g Sodium 527 mg
Carbohydrate 52 g Fiber 4 g
Total fat 9 g Potassium 1,052 mg
Saturated fat 1 g Calcium 110 mg
Monounsaturated fat 6 g

Exercise with Caution...If you are Over Weight

Athletes in television commercials aren't shown to scale. Most are tall and slender, their muscles flexing as they swing a tennis racquet, cycle down a mountain or swim laps.

In real life, most adults are overweight or obese. The national obesity rate climbed to 26.1 percent in 2008, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. This means many adventure buffs are... well, not that buff.

Many outdoor and adventure participants are packing a few extra pounds. Obese adults can also join the fun but they need to take special precautions when starting a new sport or fitness program.

GETTING STARTED:

Obese participants should check with their physician to gauge their fitness level and understand what realistically can be performed, said Kathy Weber, a sports medicine physician and director of the Women's Sports Medicine Program at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Ill.

Selecting appropriate gear is also important before beginning a new sport or fitness program. Shoes must be supportive and activity appropriate. "It's really important because they may have excess weight on their limbs, they need to make sure they have a supportive shoe to absorb the impact," Weber said.

Obese participants should consciously select activities that will be less strenuous on joints. Some movements create a tremendous force that is partly absorbed by the body. Walking, for example, generates a force that is about four times the person's body weight. Running creates a force about eight times greater.

"Your body is under a lot more stress when you have more weight so higher impact activities would not be the first choice for an overweight individual," Weber said.

Low impact activities such as swimming, walking or hiking are recommended. Weber also advises obese participants to consider the surface in which the activity is performed. Soft surfaces such as a treadmill or padded track will absorb more force than hard concrete.

Cycling or skating is an appropriate activity if the participant does not have a distorted center of gravity which could cause imbalance and risk of injury, Weber said.

Once an activity or fitness program is determined, obese participants should set realistic goals. Setting obtainable goals is helpful in creating an exercise habit, said Chuck Barnard, national fitness director for Tennis Corporation of America and general manager of Midtown Athletic Club in Palatine, Ill.

A goal of twice a week for the first two weeks, followed by three times a week for the next two weeks can help obese participants ease into the habit of exercising, Barnard said.

STAYING SAFE:

Obese participants should exercise during a cooler point in the day or take their workout indoors to a climate controlled setting. "They don't want to overheat, they have excess adipose tissue, they may overheat quicker," Weber said.

Hydration is important but water should be consumed instead of sports drinks. "We typically tell people 12-16 ounces every 20 minutes," Weber said.

Obese participants should also be aware of the activity's impact on their body and stop if joint pain is experienced, Weber said.

STAYING MOTIVATED:

Positive thinking is crucial for continuing with exercise or sport participation. Eliminate discouraging thoughts such as 'This won't make a difference' or 'I can't do it'. Barnard recommends replacing these thoughts with encouraging ideas. "'I'm going to enjoy it', 'I'm going to establish this as something I'm going to do', 'I can do this.' Just having a thought process of being positive, that goes a long way," he said.

Obese participants should also step off the scale and find other ways to measure their results. "The things I like to do in terms of asking people how they feel. Do you have more energy? Do you feel better about yourself? Those are positive outcome of exercise," Barnard said.

Also consider how muscle is significantly more dense and heavy than fat. "Muscle is the only thing that burns calories but muscle is dense," Barnard said.

Keeping records of hip, waist and chest measurements can demonstrate weight loss to participants who are trading fat for muscle and don't see movement on the scale. A loss of inches may provide the right encouragement.

Also consider the progress made. Can you now run a mile without stopping? Lift 20 pounds instead of five?

Another measure of success is the ability to progress into longer, harder workouts. Barnard advises against starting out with an intense, time consuming program. Instead, he said endurance and resistance should slowly be added.

Variety should also be added slowly, Barnard said. Variety may mean a combination of yoga, hiking and weights. Or it may mean the participant goes through phases such as a few months of cycling and weights, and then a few months of running and weights.

Variety is crucial to motivation and so is a realistic goal not tied to dramatic weight loss.

Barnard cites the show "The Biggest Loser" where contestants' success is measured solely by the scale. "They have great results but look at the mindset when they don't make it. They are deflated," he said.

---

(c) 2009, McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

-----